E3 2015: Bethesda’s showcase brings fan favorites

Bethesda’s first E3 press conference started the yearly pre-E3 events off early with a handful of already announced titles and a few surprises.

Bethesda’s showcase began with a gameplay demo of Doom, built on the company’s new idTech 6 engine. The fourth game in the iconic series focused on bringing back the foundation of the original Doom games, complete with the same enemies and weapons you come to expect from the franchise. The level shown off seemed as open-ended as you expect from the original Doom and included a few new abilities, such as a boost jump ability and a violent melee system. The showing concluded with a brief glimpse at the game’s multiplayer and the announcement of “Doom Snapmap”, a mode that allows players to easily create and share new levels and modes for free. Doom will be out in Spring 2016 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Arkane Studios announced the sequel to the 2012 hit Dishonored, Dishonored 2, with a CG trailer showing off the game’s new protagonist, some steampunk-inspired robotic enemies and a mix of new and old abilities. You can choose either Corvo, the game’s original protagonist, or a new lead character, Emily, each with their own unique powers and weapons. Complete with this announcement was the reveal of Dishonored: Definitive Edition, an updated version of the original game for modern consoles.

The conference ended with a live demonstration of Fallout 4. The demo began by showing off the game’s intro, complete with a detailed character creator and a taste of the world of Fallout pre-apocalypse. It continued with a lengthy look at Bethesda’s new engine, dialogue choices (complete with a voiced main character), the return of VATS combat, an improved PIP Boy and the many ways you can interact with your canine companion. Fallout 4 will even allow you to rebuild as much of the world as you want and also craft new weapons and weapon modifications from materials you gather throughout your adventure. Fallout 4 will be out on November 10th for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Other News and Events:

Two mobile games were announced, including The Elder Scrolls Legends, a card battling game, and Fallout Shelter, a free strategy game which tasks you with creating and running your very own Fallout-style vault.